Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 788 › Conversation 788-014

Nixon & Butterfield on State dinner and Alexander F. Douglas-Home

Friday, September 29, 1972 · 3:58 PM–4:04 PM ET · Oval Office · 42 sec

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Butterfield, Alexander P.Conversation788-014 on Tape 788StartFriday, September 29, 1972 at 3:58 PMEndFriday, September 29, 1972 at 4:04 PMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 788-014 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon met with Alexander P. Butterfield to finalize logistical arrangements for an upcoming state dinner honoring Sir Alexander F. Douglas-Home. The discussion centered on room selection and seating configurations, specifically navigating the usage of the Red and Blue Rooms for the small group. They agreed on a plan to maintain the group's proximity at the table to facilitate conversation throughout the event.

Audio

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Transcript (AI-generated)

This transcript was generated automatically by AI (WhisperX) and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Names and numbers are often wrong; speakers are not identified. Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

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So, and then we'll stay at the table.
So that, so that everybody can talk to it.
It's a very small group.
They prefer to be left in the traffic a little bit.
All right.
Yeah.
I know there's no women, but like whatever president you have, you leave the table to them.
Yeah, start red.
Okay, so we'll start red, go to the room, stay, and stay there.

NARA Description

On September 29, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 3:58 pm and 4:04 pm. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 788-014 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 788-14

Date: September 29, 1972
Time: Unknown between 3:58 pm and 4:04 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Alexander P. Butterfield.

             The President's forthcoming state dinner for Sir Alexander F. Douglas-Home
                 -Room arrangements
                     -Red Room
                     -Blue Room

Butterfield left at an unknown time before 4:04 pm.

Also recorded on September 29, 1972

  • 788-022 3:05 PM · 26 sec — United States Secret Service agents and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 3:05 pm and 3:16 pm.
  • 788-011 3:16 PM · 15 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Henry A. Kissinger, and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House from 3:16 pm to 3:30 pm.
  • 788-012 3:32 PM · 21 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Beurt SerVass, Cory SerVass, and White House photographer met in the Oval Office of the White House from 3:32 pm to 3:58 pm.
  • 788-013 3:58 PM · 13 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 3:58 pm and 4:04 pm.
  • 788-015 4:04 PM · 1 hr 11 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Sir Alexander F. Douglas-Home, Henry A. Kissinger, Stephen B. Bull, and Manolo Sanchez met in the Oval Office of the White House from 4:04 pm to 5:15 pm.
  • 788-018 5:15 PM · 59 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Stephen B. Bull, John D. Ehrlichman, H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman, Henry A. Kissinger, and Alexander M. Haig, Jr. met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 5:15 pm and 6:30 pm.
  • 788-016 5:16 PM · 39 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 5:16 pm and 5:21 pm.
  • 788-017 5:16 PM · 20 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 5:16 pm and 5:21 pm.

All 35 conversations from September 29, 1972 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 788-014, September 29, 1972. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/788-014 (accessed October 12, 2026).